Jar-closure fastener.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. BOSTWICK, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

TAR-CLOSURE FA$TENER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, YVILLIAM A. Bosr- WIGK, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Jar-Closure Fasteners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon.

The present invention relates to jar closure fasteners and it has for an object to provide an inexpensive structure which will. effectively secure a jar closure on a jar and will be easy to manipulate.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

in the drawings: Figure l is a perspec tive view of the fastener; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the fastener mounted to retain the closure in place on a jar, the closur and jar being also shown in section; Fig. 3 is a side view of the closure fastener removed and having its resilient means held under tension so that the application to a jar is rendered easier, and Fig. 4 is a top view of the fastener in the condition shown in Fig. 3.

The ordinary jar closure fastener, in which a spring bow serves as a connector between two depending ar engaging members, when placed under tension throws the upper ends of the jar engaging members outwardly and the lower ends of said members inwardly,. causing the whole structure to be placed under an extreme tension, and giving the ar engaging portions a tendency to spring outwardly and from the jar, this action occurring in many instances and especially when the shoulders on the jar and the engaging ends of the fastener are not properly formed.

In this invention, an inexpensive fastener is provided in which the jar engaging portions are not given any tendency to spring away from the jar and the application and the removal of the fastener is facilitated.

lln the illustrated embodiment of the invention there is employed a frame comprising a connecting portion 1 which is preferably substantially rigid and holds the upper Specification of Letters Patent.

Application fi1ed May 21, 1909.

Patented Sept. 12, 1911.

Serial No. @9145? ends of the depending jar engaging members 2 in a fixed relation. At the lower ends of the jar engaging members or portions 2 inwardly extending portions 3 are provided to engage beneath an annular shoulder 4 on the exterior of the jar 5. Preferably each jar engaging member has two inwardly extending portions arranged in spaced relation and having their inner ends 6 curved to conform to the surface of the ar, the spaced relation of the portions 3 permitting the fastener to accommodate itself to inequalities in the surface of the jar. In this instance the fastener is made from a fiat strip of sheet material or stock bent sharply at 10 to provide the connecting portion 1 and jar engaging members 2.

Carried by the jar engaging members are finger pieces 7 preferably formed by two longitudinal slits at opposite ends of the flat strip of metal from which the fastener is made, the metal between the slits being bent outwardly to provide the finger pieces and at the same time spacing the inwardly turned portions 3 from each other.

In order to hold the inwardly turned endsof the jar engaging members 2 in firm engagement with the jar shoulder 4 the frame is provided with separated portions 20 which facilitate inward relative movement of the ar engaging portions said separated portions being located in proximity to the ends only of the connecting portion 1. To effect this movement springs 9 are connected to said frame at points located away from those portions of the frame between the separated points said arms extending toward each other beneath the connecting portion. In this instance the spring arms are cut from the flat stock between the bends 10 so that they weaken the frame in proximity to the bends and produce the separated portions which facilitate the inward movement of the ar engaging portion, without bending the portions of the frame between said facilitating portions. The action of the fastener when the spring arms are compressed may be clearly seen in Fig. 8, of the drawings. By this arrangement the spring arms connect with the-jar engaging members so that when said spring arms are placed under tension the lower ends of the 'ar engaging members will swing inwardly, the separated or weakened portions 20 permitting such action. The slight tension thus secured will hold the portions 3 sion.

To the end that the fastener may be applied to the jar with greater case there may be provided a device which will hold the resilient means under tension until it is desired to release said means for the purpose of engaging thejar closure. This device, in this instance, consists of a latch pivoted at 11 to the connecting portion 1 between the spring arms 9 and adapted to be thrown beneath said spring arms when the latter are moved upwardly within the pockets or apertures 12 in the connecting portion 1, a finger piece 13 serving to control the movements of the latch.

In applying the fastener the spring arms 9 are moved within the apertures 12 and the latch 13 is turned beneath the proximate ends of the arms. The inwardly turned ends 3 of the jar engaging members 2 are then carried beneath the shoulder 4 of the jar by sidewise movement of the fastener, until a central position is reached when the latch 13 is turned to free the spring arms 9 which move into engagement with the closure 8, firmly holding the same to the jar. To remove the fastener, the finger pieces on opposite sides thereof are engaged and pressed to carry the fastener over the closure and the inwardly turned portions 3 from beneath the shoulder 4:.

A jar closure constructed in accordance with this invention will not have a tend ency to spring from the as its jar en gaging members are held at their upper ends in a fixed relation, while the resilient means acts on the jar engaging members in a manner to hold the latter firmly into engagement with the jar but not to give them a tendency to move away from the jar shoulder. It will be noted further that the resilient means is held under compression during the application of the fastener, and the finger pieces facilitate the application and theremoval. The springs are arranged to give a maximum pressure and to distribute the same on a jar closure, and the device as a whole is so constructed that itmay be made inexpensively from sheet metal and at the same time Wlll provlde a strong and durable structure.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a frame including a connecting portion, depending jar engaging portions at the ends of the connect ing portion, and weakened portions which facilitate the inward relative movement of the jar engaging portions, said weakened portions being located in proximity to the ends of the connecting portion, ofspring arms out from the metal of the frame between the jar engaging portions and extending toward each other so as to effect the inward movement of the jar engaging portions upon the engagement of the spring arms by the jar closure without disturbing the connecting portion between the weakened portions.

2. A jar closure fastener comprising a frame formed from a single piece of flat stock with a straight connecting portion, straight depending jar engaging portions having inwardly turned ends, said jar engaging portions lying substantially at right angles to the connecting portion and being connected to the latter by sharp bends, and

spring arms extending toward each other below the connecting portion, said arms being cut from the stock of the connecting portion and providing weakened portions in proximity to the bends, permitting the jar engaging portions to move toward each other about separated points in proximity to the sharp bends without disturbing the connecting portions between said separated points.

A jar closure fastener comprising a connector, jar engaging members carried by the connector, resilient means arranged to cooperate with the jar closure, and a device for holding said resilient means in inoperative position while the fastener is being up plied to a jar.

4. A jar closure fastener comprising a connector, ar engaging members carried by the connector, a spring arranged to cooperate with a jar closure, and a device carried by the connector for holding the spring in inoperative position while the fastener is being appliedto a jar.

5. A jar closure fastener comprising a connector, jar engaging members carried by the connector, a spring arm to cooperate with the jar closure, and a latch for engaging the arm to hold it in inoperative position.

6. A jar closure fastener comprising a connector, ar engaging members carried by the connector, a pair of spring arms extending toward each other, and a latch cooperating with both arms.

WILLIAM A. BOSTlVICK.

Witnesses:

RoLIsoN S. Bos'rwIoK, lV. HERBERT WALL.

Copies of this patent niay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

